The Return
by tswheaton
Summary: As vessels continue to disappear throughout the quadrant, the SS Essex comes under attack by a determined group of pirates. Can the Doctor and Ace save the 15,000 souls aboard the cruise liner, or will they become the next victims...


**Doctor Who**:  
**The Return**  
**by**  
**Travis Scott Wheaton**

First Draft 2/7/96  
"Fourth" Draft 31/8/10

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**_Set after Survival, and assuming the NA's never existed_... _Intended as a last hurrah for Ace & the Seventh Doctor_...**

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Aboard the luxury space liner Essex, life was nothing but grandiose for its 12,000 passengers. The 2,500 crew too had little to complain about. The pay was very good, the hours manageable and the perks most appreciable. But for those working on the bridge on this ship-designated night, everything was far from perfect.

Fifteen minutes ago a small fleet of incoming ships had appeared on the long-range scanners, and brought with them a lot of worried frowns, and ultimately the beginning of pandemonium. The ships matched no design class on record, nor could they be scanned. They had not responded to any hails. They simply continued to close in on the Essex on an intercept course, closer, and closer.

First Operations Technician Verity Mills continued to stare at her monitor. No matter how long she stared she still had nothing to report to her Captain as to whom it was that was moving to cut them off. All she could think of was the rumours. And of her boyfriend she suddenly knew she would never see again.

"Speak to me, Mills!" barked Captain Grainey, his low rumbling voice somehow soothing yet chilling at the same time. He was seated in his warm, padded chair in the middle of the hemispherical bridge. Mills' eyes did not leave her monitor; she didn't dare look her Captain in the eye at this particular moment. She was reminded of all the years during her childhood when she had been unable to meet her father's steely gaze.

"I still cannot get a positive ID on the vessels. The sensors wont even give me any density readings. All I know is, there is somewhere between two and..." she almost threw her arms up, "twenty ships coming in on an intercept course, which may or may not be armed and ready for combat. Their shields, I think, are up. Or at least there appears to be some kind of energy field surrounding the vessels. It may be designed to interfere with our sensors..."

"Which they seem to be doing most efficiently," the Captain muttered to himself, before once more half yelling at his most experienced Ops Officer. "Wonderful, Mills. That makes everything so much clearer." Mills winced, not just because of the dig at her, but because she knew the Captain was at his most sarcastic when he was feeling seriously worried.

The Captain turned to Communications Officer Vlassig, stationed on the left side of the Bridge, opposite to Mills. "Send a message to Bandragenous V and inform them that we have encountered the Pirates. Let them know we - ", he turned back to Mills, "Lieutenant, can you at least tell me how long we have till they reach us?"

Mills swiveled around and finally faced her Captain. _Great_, she thought. _The only information I _can_ give him, and it's all bad_... "At current vectors, they shall reach us within ten minutes." The Captain pondered her information, and then turned back to his Comms Officer.

"Tell them..." The Captain faltered slightly. "Tell them that escort might not have been a bad idea after all...".

Less than one parsec away, the sleek silver ships moved inexorably towards their prey...

.

Ace stepped through a lavish double doorway that looked like it should lead into an ancient castle. Instead, she found herself in the TARDIS console room. She stood for a moment, her eyes drawn to the massive Time Rotor as its two halves - one above, reaching down from the ceiling, and one coming up from inside the six sided control console - moved together, and then apart.

"A few _minor_ renovations, you said." She crossed the room slowly, taking in the new features of the Edwardian console room, until she stood on one side of the console. With hands on hips, she chided the Doctor accusingly, who was playing with the new Era control circuits. "I turn my back for 10 minutes and you go and turn the whole place upside down."

The Doctor smiled back at her. She walked slowly around the new console, trying to keep the scowl on her face, until it was ruined by a smile. "Looks brill!" Playfully running a finger over the console, Ace inspected for dust.

Many parts of the console room were clearly not finished, some with bare wires hanging out in abandon. The Doctor moved around to join her. "Time," he said, putting his sonic screwdriver absent-mindedly in one of his voluminous pockets, "I think, for a test drive!" His voice was a combination of hope, and conspiratorial glee. The Doctor was dying to see if his modifications would actually work.

Strolling slowly around his new console, admiring his handiwork, the Doctor asked, "Where would you like to go? Brighton beach? The Leisure Hive of Argolis? The opening of the Sydney Opera House? Or the Eye of Orion, perhaps?" The Doctor's eyes lit up as he started flicking controls, pulling levers, and performing some mental calculations.

"Don't be daft. Who'd want to go there?" The Doctor frowned like a scalded schoolboy at Ace's reply. "How about..." She thought for a moment. "Tournos III?" she asked excitedly. "I heard great things about their... Summer Carnivals… when I was on Spartos."

The Doctor gave her a reserved grin. "Tournos III it is then," his fingers automatically started inputting the information. "Though I know you just want to go there because of their Universally renown pyrotechnic displays..."

Ace grinned back at him mischievously. "I thought maybe I could teach them a few lessons..." The Doctor smiled at her with some reservation before deftly finishing his work setting the controls, flickering from one panel to the next. "Do you think we'll actually get there, Professor?" Ace said with a grin.

"Doctor!" the Doctor hissed, looking at her almost indignantly, though he'd all but given up on ever getting her to address him correctly, and flicked the final switch.

A small black and white monitor hanging on a retractable chain from the ceiling displayed the destination setting: "Tournos III, Constellation of Lucidiam, Local dateline: 37 548". The Doctor looked up at his travelling companion and said, "Fifteen minutes, and you will be dazzled by the spectacu - " he stopped mid-word as he saw the Time Rotor begin to slow, as the TARDIS prepared to materialise. The Doctor frowned. "That's odd," he said.

Ace smiled.

.

The Essex made another desperate course adjustment, trying to buy some time against the relentless advance of the invading ships.

On the bridge, the crew were growing desperate. "How long, Mills?" The Captain stared at the back of Verity's head. She didn't respond, her eyes staring past the monitors in front of her. "Mills!" he stood up from his chair and yelled.

Her eyes refocused, her fingers darting over the controls. "I-I'm sorry. We've gained a few minutes, Sir. They haven't accelerated, but they have altered their course to match ours precisely. They'll reach us in fifteen minutes."

The Captain grimaced at the news. "Persistant, arrogant bastards..." he muttered.

Before being asked the Chief Engineer, a man named Taylor, reported, "We can't go any faster, and I'm not sure how long the engines can take travelling at this speed, either." He looked down at the panel in front of him, keeping a watchful eye on the engine's stress levels. Taylor had heard the stories of what happened to ships that encountered these Pirates, as had all of the crew, and some of the passengers. He knew what his ship was capable of, but was willing to push things further than his best judgement dictated.

The Comms Officer looked forlornly towards his Captain. "I'm sorry, Sir. Our messages are not getting through."

Grainey didn't look surprised. "It's just like all the others."

Mills leapt out of her chair. "Shouldn't we be doing something!" she yelled impulsively. "Inform the passengers. Get ready for them. We could mine the corridors outside the docking bays!" After she'd finished her outburst, Mills stood and stared at her Captain, her fists clenched in scarcely controlled anger. What she saw was a defeated man before the battle had even commenced.

"There _is_ no defence. No ship has survived an attack yet. Even the Battleship Orion was lost with all hands on board. Nobody even lives to tell the tale... Why should we be any different? Best to leave the passengers to enjoy the ball... It'll be the last they ever attend."

In the Main Ballroom, lavishly decorated for the once weekly "Period Ball", some 6,500 passengers mingled, danced, and sung along to the curious music which was being provided by a live band.

In keeping with the historical theme that had been running throughout the cruise, tonight was a revival of the Roaring Nineteen Twenties. Most of the passengers didn't know anything about the 1920's on Earth, but were more than happy to wear the weird costumes, and listen to the bizarre music that was popular at the time.

An army of waiters and cleaners moved amongst the crowd, taking orders and cleaning the mess generated by thousands of revellers. The course corrections hadn't gone completely unnoticed by the mostly near happily drunk revellers, but after a quick talk with some of the stewards or security personal, the party went back into full swing. The band picked up their authentic replica instruments and played a hearty tune, best known from a slightly earlier period in Earth History... somewhere around 1912...

Things were the same in the smaller MilkyWay Bar, three floors above the Main Ballroom. Only around 1,500 people were at this party, making the most of the slightly quieter, darker atmosphere and slightly easier access to certain alcoholic beverages. And the total absence of out-of-date music.

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Deep in the bowels of the Essex a faint sound began echoing around the empty passageways. The sound, like the grinding of ancient machinery, intensified, and the shape of a blue Police Telephone Box local to mid Twentieth Century England slowly appeared in the middle of a large T junction. The noise abated after reaching a thundering crescendo, and the double doors opened. Ace emerged, wearing her badge-covered bomber jacket, with backpack slung over her shoulder.

After looking briefly up and down the wider corridor, Ace took a few steps down the narrower passage that led off from the junction, and found that it branched off to the right about 10 metres ahead. She returned in time to see the Doctor locking the TARDIS doors. His straw hat was as always crammed onto his head, and his question-mark-handled umbrella was hooked over his left arm as he finished locking the door. He eyed her rucksack suspiciously, and then asked which way she thought they should head.

He was more than aware of the possible weapons that may be hidden away inside her ruksack. As a general rule, the Doctor hated carrying any kind of weapon, other than his intelligence, and wit. Ace too, was more than aware of the Doctor's feelings towards weapons, but she also knew the kind of trouble that seemed inexplicably drawn to the travelling Time Lord.

The floor under their feet moved slightly as the crew made another coarse alteration. Ace's eyes narrowed a little as she took stock of the situation. "It's a pretty large vessel. Nearly 400,000 tonnes, I'd say." The Doctor was still peering down the three different corridors, but smiled secretly at his companion's quite accurate guess.

He took out a coin, and tossed it. "This way?" he asked her, indicating the left passage. Ace peered down the corridor, then took the coin from him, and tossed it herself. She gave the coin back, smiled, touched her finger to his nose and then headed to the right, looking over her shoulder to see the Time Lord grinning as he followed her, his brolly now resting over his shoulder like a soldier on parade.

"So, where are we?" Ace asked when the Doctor caught up with her.

"The year is around 2645, in your measurements. We are on the fringes of colonised space, though not _too_ far out." Ace listened to him, and then sighed.

"Sounds boring. Is the ship on its way to Tournos III?" Her faith in the Doctor's abilities to get them to where they needed to be never faltered, but when that choice wasn't quite so needy, neither was his control.

The Doctor looked at her hopeful face. "No. We're over 120 light years from the Tournos System, I'm afraid, and headed in the wrong direction. We could just go back to the TARDIS; take off. Try again?"

Ace gave it a false moments' thought. "Let's explore first!"

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Some of the party-goers in the MilkyWay Bar were starting to complain about the absence of those little cocktail umbrellas. They had used up the day's supply after a rush on margaritas earlier in the evening. Senior Barperson Hill looked around the room, finally spotting the perfect man for the job. "Eric! Get over here!" she yelled over the 26th Century holistic music, gesturing as friendly yet commandeeringly as possible.

Second Class Steward Eric Logan marched enthusiastically over to his superior. "Yes, Sir!"

Hill tried to conceal her disdained apathy. "Go down to Cargo Bay J14 and bring back a few boxes of 8XC30's, there's a good chap."

Logan saluted, and performed a perfect 180° turn, and took two steps towards the door. He then spun back around. "That's – cocktail umbrellas, right, Sir?"

Hill nodded her head. Logan spun around once more, and marched to the door. Hill watched him leave, then opened a spare box of cocktail umbrellas from underneath the counter.

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The Doctor and Ace moved down the substantially better lit, broader and whiter hallway, looking back and forth occasionally. The Doctor halted for no reason that was apparent to Ace and asked her, "Do you hear that?"

Ace paused and listened carefully. Was that music somewhere above? "The Cha Cha?" she hazarded a guess with a befuddled look on her face.

The Doctor shook his head. "Charleston. Even in the 27th Century people still torture themselves with the Charleston."

Ace grinned at the Doctor's attempt at a joke. "Somebody's having a party!"

The Doctor listened carefully for a moment and then told her, "About 8000 people, I'd say."

They continued walking down the corridor.

Just as they turned a corner a steward nearly bowled them over. After regaining his composure, Eric looked at the pair rather sternly. "I'm afraid you aren't supposed to be down here. This area is off limits to passengers." Eric glanced down the hallway, debating between ship regulations, and Senior Barperson Hill's orders. "If you'll accompany me back to the habitat levels, I'm sure I can help you find your rooms?"

Eric smiled at them, the smile of a steward who knows he is in the right, and the passenger is in the wrong. It wasn't often that an opportunity to tell a passenger off came along, and he decided to relish every second.

He lead them back the way he had come for a moment, then halted, and spun around to face them, his brow furrowed. "Excuse me, but may I ask your names. I don't recall seeing you on board before..." Eric was proud of his ability to remember faces, if not necessarily names, and was suddenly unsure he had ever seen either of these two people before. After nearly thirteen weeks at Space, he was sure he had seen nearly every passenger on board at some point in Time.

The Doctor looked at the young man's name-tag, and then said, "Well, Eric, you see... I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend, Ace."

Ace moved forwards slightly, almost tagging the Doctor's hand like a pair of wrestlers. "And the reason you haven't seen us on board before is," she said, "Because we only just came on board." She grinned at Eric.

Eric stared back at her. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. Then, he did. "Security to level 14," he almost screamed into his personal intercom, attached to his lapel. "Stowaways!" He blinked several times, calming himself, and then looked once more at the two strangers. "You two really are in an awful lot of trouble..."

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As the aesthetically pleasing yet astronavigationally challenged luxury cruiser continued adjusting its course, weaving this way and that in an attempt to shake off its pursuers, a fair number of passengers were beginning to ask questions. "Are we in a meteor field? I thought we weren't expected to reach the DeVriesions Belt til next week?" "Are you sure the pilot of this ship hasn't had a few too many?" "Is there something wrong with the ship's inertial dampers?" Many others, however, didn't even notice.

On the bridge, Logan's voice came echoing out of a speaker. "I found them on level 14, section 12, Sir. They don't appear to be armed, Sir. What do you want me to do with them, Sir? Should I bring them to the bridge, Si-" The Captain motioned across his throat, and Logan's voice ceased to pour from the speaker.

Grainey stared into space for some time. Two mysterious stowaways appear just as the Pirates attack. Surely they were in some way connected, but how? "Stay where you are, err, Steward. I have some questions for our guests. I'll send two men down to escort them to the bridge immediately. Are you sure you can handle them til then?" His tone carried full well his lack of faith in Logan's abilities.

A moment later, Logan's deflated voice replied, "They are unarmed, Sir."

The Captain's eyes had now returned to the scanner, and the relentless approach of the attacking ships. "Treat them with caution! Secure yourself a sidearm from the nearest arms locker, just in case." Halfway through Logan's confirmation of his orders the Captain gestured again for silence. "We may yet get some answers to our questions..."

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Logan stared at his two prisoners. He'd never been in charge of prisoners before. He drew himself up to his full 5 feet 9 inches, and stared fiercely at the odd pair. The short man with the odd tweed trousers and cream jacket smiled at him, and suggested, "After you?" whilst pointing back down the hall.

Smiling curtly, and with a quick nod, Logan turned and took a step down the hallway, before bringing himself to a halt, spinning on his heel, and barging between his prisoners. He pointed back down the corridor, "That way!" and totally failed notice the grin that passed between the Doctor and Ace.

Two Special Space Corp officers clad in their sleek black uniforms trudged down the corridors leading towards the stowaways and their temporary caretaker.

The walk to the bridge had become a quiet one after Eric's insisting that the prisoners remain silent. The corridor they were walking along was slightly larger than the narrow ones deeper down in the ship. Every few metres along the right wall small observation ports looked out onto the vast expanse of space outside. At greater intervals there were larger observation windows. As they passed one, the Doctor turned his head and looked out to the stars. The small gathering of grey dots approaching rapidly on the horizon caused a deep furrow to cross the Doctor's brow.

The two SSC men arrived, and took control. As they conversed with Eric, Ace looked at the Doctor staring out of the window. All five then continued, after a threatening glance down the barrel of one of the SSC men's gun. Eric strutted in front of his prisoners as the SSC brought up the rear. They turned a corner into a much larger corridor.

Ahead lay the main doors to the MilkyWay Bar. The path to the bridge took them right passed the doors. As they reached them, the Doctor opened the doors and entered, pulling Ace in with him, hooking the handle of his umbrella around her arm.

Cursing under their breath, the officers quickly followed them into the bar. Eric continued walking down the corridor for a moment, before realising his were the only footsteps. He stood stock still for a moment, bewildered, before turning and seeing he was alone. Amazed that he could so easily have lost his prisoners, he ran back down the corridor, and finally burst after them through the large doors.

Eric stared around the room, trying to make out the form of the Doctor's hat, or pick out the girl's rucksack, but spotted neither. The two security officers were equally lost.

At the bar, the Doctor and Ace were ordering drinks. His hat was on the bar in front of him, his umbrella hooked precariously onto the bench, and Ace's rucksack had ended up on the floor by her feet.

"I'll have a glass of water, thank-you. And my friend shall have..." He turned to Ace, who was seated most comfortably on the stool beside him.

"I'll have a Tequila Sunrise, no ice, thank-you." Ace smiled politely at the bartender. The Doctor glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and then slumped down on his stool in resignation.

Ace stared around at the moderately filled room. "Looks like you were wrong about the crowd. There can't be 8,000 people in here! And I don't hear any of that awful music playing, either." An unorthodox jazz number was flowing through the room.

"Three floors down," the Doctor started, "and about... 100 metres south."

The pairs' drinks were placed in front of them, on top of Essex drink coasters boasting the smoothest drinks, and smoothest journey in the Galaxy. The barman waited expectantly, as the Doctor produced his money pouch. Ace picked up her drink and pocketed the coaster. Just as she went to take a sip, someone knocked her arm. "Hey bozzo! Look what you just done!"

She stood up and turned to see who had bumped into her. The barman, too, looked to see what all the commotion was about. It was Eric, standing behind the two SSC men. "Oh, you again." Ace looked over her shoulder to where the Doctor had been sitting, but found he was no longer there; along with his hat and brolly, he had disappeared.

"Where is your friend?" Eric asked, trying to maintain his feeble grasp of authority.

Ace slipped her rucksack on her shoulder, and slowly moved backwards. "I don't know. He must have wondered off. He does that, you know? Just up and wanders off without saying a word to me," she amicably told them, before trying to make a run for it. Before she could get anywhere, she had an SSC hand on either shoulder.

They spun her around. Eric's face showed how much he had come to dislike her. "Take her to the Captain. I hope he's in a very bad mood..." Eric smiled menacingly at her as the two guards led her towards the exit. Eric allowed his moment of triumph to linger, before turning to matters at hand. He watched the crowd dancing, then those who were sitting, eating, or drinking, or just chatting. He couldn't see the strange little man anywhere. How can someone that strange hide himself so well! Eric moved away, and left the barman to his duties. The barman stared at a few smooth pebbles lying on the counter where the strange little man had been sitting...

.

The security officers dragged Ace onto the middle of the bridge, then stood to attention, one either side of her. After straightening her jacket, Ace took in her surroundings. She could feel the tension in the air. Something big was about to happen. On the main view screen, spanning across and around the front of the bridge, the incoming vessels were now clearly defined. Mills reported to her Captain, "Any minute now they shall be within weapons range..."

"And I suppose you are just going to sit back and watch as your friends fire on this ship!" The Captain barked at Ace, turning from the viewer and staring at her.

Ace looked at him, bewildered. "If they were friends of mine, and they shot at me, I can assure you they wouldn't be friends for long." she retorted.

The Captain was not convinced. "Who are you? Why are you attacking my ship!" The Captain had raised to his feet, and slowly but menacingly moved towards her.

Defiantly Ace stared him down. "We only just came on board. We've got nothing to do with whoever they are!" she told him, in a scarcely controlled voice. Turning, she looked more closely at the scanner. Her brow furrowed slightly. "They look like..."

"If you're not with them, just who are you?" the Captain questioned Ace suspiciously.

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The Doctor was seated in a booth opposite a woman in the bar. He had simply slid into the seat opposite her, raising his hat and placing his brolly on the middle of the table all in one move. She had grinned wryly at him, thinking he was going to attempt to chat her up. So, when he asked her if she had ever been to Alzarius, she laughed softly, thinking it to be a rather weird pick-up line to open with. "No, I haven't. Is the food good there?" she replied, a bemused look on her face.

"So long as you watch out for the riverfruit after Mistfall..." the Doctor replied mystically. Allowing just enough time for her to open her mouth to ask him a question, but not long enough for her to actually vocalise it, the Doctor started talking about the Dalek/Draconian Fringe Wars of the 2590's. She was beginning to think this strange little man had more on his mind than a night of sex; though exactly what that was, she did not know.

"I'm a noble of Draconia, you know?" the Doctor said quietly. She smiled knowingly again, starting to think her first judgement may have been correct after all; typical male, big noting himself. He continued, "An honour bestowed upon me by the Fifteenth Draconian Emperor." He produced a small medallion, apparently to prove his point. Perhaps he was just an eccentric millionaire?

The woman leaned over the table towards her intruder. "If you don't mind my asking, who are you?"

The Doctor smiled at her, and leaned in to meet her. "I'm the Doctor; President Elect of the High Council of Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, though don't spread it round."

_Ah... Definitely an eccentric_, she thought to herself. "Well, I'm Sara Robert. Pleased to meet you." She held her hand out across the table.

As the Doctor took her hand in his, he asked her, "Did you notice the course correction just a moment ago?"

Sara smiled pleasantly at him. When she had asked a passing steward about the increase in turbulence and frequency of course alterations, she had been told that they were travelling through an asteroid belt. The Doctor smiled wryly at her, first nodding his head in acknowledgment of her story, and then slowly shook it side to side. "Not a course correction?" she asked him, wondering if he actually knew the answer.

"Not an asteroid belt," he said ominously.

Rising to his feet, the Doctor held his hand out, and asked her if she would care to dance. More out of intrigue than anything, she accepted, and looked at the strange little man with more bewilderment as he hooked the handle of his brolly into his coat pocket, and donned his hat before leading her out onto the dance floor. Eric passed their vacated stall moments later, scouring the dimly lit areas carefully.

.

"Sir! They are within weapons range!" Mills had been watching the incoming ships, which she had now identify as three large vessels, which, by their outward appearance, were clearly some form of battle cruisers. "Sir?" Every part of Mills' being pleaded for her Captain to take action.

Captain Grainey turned and stared at the screen. Suddenly, the three ships became a dozen, as each vessel launched three smaller ships. The Essex was as large as one of the cruisers, but had little armaments. He continued to stare at the screen, and then turned back to Ace.

He remembered the first time he had seen battle, in the Draconian Wars as a cadet fresh out of the Academy. Remembered the first time he had manned the weapons console and fired directly on enemy ships. Remembered the communiqué informing him that his wife and two daughters had been killed by Belt Pirates in the Santaurus Cluster ten years ago.

Ace saw the look of defeat already permeated across this man's face. But then, it vanished. He spun around. "Mills - raise shields! Mr Lawrence, aim all weapons on one of those fighters. We might not stand a chance, but we can at least try to singe their whiskers!"

Mills spun round in her chair, revealing a stunned look on her face. "Captain. We've just received a message - text only. It says, 'TO STRUGGLE IS FUTILE. LOWER YOUR SHIELDS. PREPARE FOR BOARDING. WE WILL SURVIVE.'" In an instant, all of the colour drained from Ace's face.

The ship suddenly lurched wildly to the sounds of explosions, and the lights everywhere went out. People screamed. People fell off their seats, and off their feet. Those too drunk to care, laughed. Several more jolts shook the ship, with distant explosions ringing out as the emergency lights came on. Some of the stewards tried to calm the panicking crowd, with varying degrees of success.

.

In the MilkyWay Bar, Sara straightened herself, then her dress, and thanked the Doctor for his sturdy hands. She realised that the Doctor seemed impervious to the floors' attempts to topple him, apparently unaffected by what was going on around him.

"What's happening?" she yelled at him above the din of the scared gathering. His dark eyes stared into hers.

"Something terrible."

.

The attacking forces had barely opened fire, and already the Essex's shields had been disabled. Primary Power Supply was off line. Weapons inoperable. Grainey's attempt to defend the ship had not even scratched the enemy vessels. The pirates flew into position, surrounding the stranded passenger liner on all sides, from all angles.

.

The Doctor grabbed Sara's hand, and led her determinedly through the jumble of confused, bruised passengers towards the exit.

.

On the bridge, red emergency lighting illuminated the faces of the crew. Ace had all but been forgotten. She sat staring into space in an abandoned console chair. Small fires were burning around the bridge; the automated fire sensors having been forced off line.

Captain Grainey, his left shoulder bleeding from a wound he hadn't even felt, couldn't believe how quickly they had been overpowered. He looked over to Mills' station. She lay slumped against her console.

Something was appearing on her cracked Comms monitor. He stood, stiffly, and stumbled over to where she lay. He pushed her body slightly to one side, and read the words on the screen. Childhood memories - nightmares, suddenly flooded his mind. "PREPARE TO BE BOARDED. YOU BELONG TO US. YOU WILL BE LIKE US. WE WILL SURVIVE."

.

A beam of intense green light suddenly emanated from, and receded into the surrounding ships, forming a web-like lattice around the Essex.

Onboard the ship, everyone became still. Screaming passengers quietened. Drunken party-goers stopped their slurred questions. Stewards and waiters and crewmen alike, all stopped talking, and simply stood, or sat, or lay still. All stared off into the distance, eyes unblinking, unaware of anything that was happening around them.

Sara's hand fell from the Doctor's grasp and rested peacefully by her side, as the Doctor clutched his head in pain. The frightened mass of people around him suddenly turned into statues.

.

On the bridge, Ace sat on the floor, under her chair, her head lolling slightly, her eyes vacant. The Captain, who had been removing Mills' body from her post, was frozen in time, holding the dead officer in his arms. A new message appeared on the screen in front of him, though no one was able to read it. "RESISTANCE IS USELESS. YOU WILL ALL BE MADE LIKE US. WE WILL SURVIVE. WE WILL DOMINATE, AND SURVIVE."

.

The Doctor tried to ignore the sound in his mind. He pulled on Sara's arm, but her feet did not follow, causing her to start to topple over. Her body fell against another woman, who in turn fell over, knocking a man nearby, like a set of dominoes, all without a sound.

Stopping Sara's fall, the Doctor steadied her, then stared into her eyes. For a moment, he stood, and thought. As an idea struck him, his hands started patting his pockets, searching for the right bits and pieces...

Within a minute, with the aid of his sonic screwdriver, he had assembled a small cylindrical device. He carefully slipped it into Sara's ear. He stared at her, looking for any sign of life. There was none.

Wrinkling his face in frustration, the Doctor took the device back out, and stared at it. He muttered to himself crossly as he realised he had forgotten a frequency modulator, something he did not have with him. He was about to try to drag Sara towards the doors again, when he heard the shuddering sound of a ship docking.

With a look of concern and guilt, he ran out of the ball room, leaving Sara behind.

.

One of the attack cruisers had moved forwards, bending the beams of light as it went, until its front airlock was nestled against one of the Essex's exterior doors. The eerie green light played between the surrounding ships.

.

Peering around a corner, the Doctor watched the airlock door. With a loud hiss, the door slowly began to open. A silver gloved hand forced the heavy door fully open. The figure that emerged was nearly seven feet tall. It wore a silver suit, with heavy silver boots seamlessly joined to the suit itself. Coils wire cuffs ran around the lower legs, and upper arms. Armour covered both the shoulders and upper body, with a panel right in the middle of the chest. But where a visored helmet should have been if this were just a space-suit, was a cold, metallic, silver head.

The eyes were large blank lifeless circles, cut out of the rigid, humanoid face. Where ears should have been there was an antenna which rose and joined to the top of the head. The mouth - a frowning slit. The chin was different from the rest of the face. Made of some form of clear plastic or glass, inside could be seen a withered, yellow jaw.

The Doctor stared at one of his oldest foes. "Cybermen," he muttered softly to himself, his voice full of anger. He watched as the Cyberman stepped fully through the doorway. Another came through the lock, and another, and another, pouring out of their ship, and into the Essex like bees in a hive.

They gathered in the large corridor, waiting. The Doctor couldn't move. He continued to stare as more and more Cybermen came through the door. Then, the Cyberleader and his deputy entered the ship. The only differentiation between the Leader and his troops, was the colour of his antennae. Neither the Leader nor his deputy carried arms, though their subordinates all held short, slender, cylindrical weapons, connected via a strap direct into their shoulders.

The Doctor heard the Cyberleader's synthesised inhuman voice as he addressed the invasion force. "Sweep the ship. Bring back processable units. Leave inferior units. Carry out your orders." The Cybermen began moving off down the corridors in a methodical search pattern. A second group of Cybermen emerged from the ship and stood to attention, awaiting their orders.

The Doctor quickly slipped away, just as a stream of Cybermen coursed down the corridor where he had been hiding. He made his way for the bridge, hoping to find Ace, before the Cybermen did.

The Cyberleader spoke with his deputy. "Send two scouts; locate the source of the Time trail. If there are Time Travellers on board, they must be found, immediately."

"Yes, Leader," the deputy replied.

.

The doors to the main Ballroom had been flung fully open as the revellers had started to panic as the ship had been attacked, but once the psionic beam had been transmitted, they simply waited their destiny. Their destiny as written by the Cybermen.

A steward had fallen against one of the doors, half closing it. Suddenly, it was thrust open as the Cybermen arrived to crash the Ball. The steward was squashed behind the door, as the Cybermen pushed their way through the mass of bodies.

More and more Cybermen entered the large hall, and started moving from person to person, examining them briefly to see if they were suitable. Any likely candidates were ordered to "Follow," and immediately fell in behind the examiner. Those unsuitable were left where they were, or unceremoniously herded aside to make a clearer path. Before long, an ant-line of humans slowly marched through the airlock, into the Cyber ship.

.

The Doctor found his way quickly up to the bridge. He took in the scene and quickly rushed over to Ace. Her rucksack was on the floor next to her, and after quickly checking to make sure she was okay, he started rummaging around in it. One by one the contents of the rucksack came out, and were flung over the Doctor's shoulder as he searched for the one last piece he needed. "Aha!" he said hurriedly, and pulled out Ace's discman. He threw it against the console, smashing it open, and then used his sonic screwdriver to remove a tiny component triumphantly. Producing the small cylindrical device that he had made earlier from a pocket, he connected the piece from the discman with his screwdriver.

Ace blinked for the first time in 10 minutes as he inserted it into her ear. She turned to the Doctor, and blinked again. "Cybermen!" she almost yelled, grabbing the Doctor's arms.

"Yes Ace, I know. They've boarded. They're ransacking the ship for human converts." His voice was bitter. He helped her to her feet.

"What's that awful humming sound?" she asked him, knocking her head as if trying to dislodge water from her ear after a swim.

"The Cybermen are using a psionic beam to hypnotise everyone on board. I built a device which blocks that signal. Don't take it out of your ear, or you'll be as powerless as everyone else," he gestured to the others on the bridge.

Ace bent back down to pick up her rucksack, and saw the remains of her discman. She looked at the Doctor, who grinned mischievously, but briefly. He moved over and resumed the post of former Lieutenant Verity Mills. He quickly started flicking through different information screens, checking the status of the ship, and the situation outside.

"There's nothing we can do from here." The Doctor watched Ace repack her rucksack, sighting several cans of what appeared to be deodorant. "If we can modify their shield generators to emit the cancelling wave, it should reverse the effect of the beam."

Ace listened to him, a frown forming on her face. The Doctor stood, and walked over to her. "Professor, there were a dozen ships." Her voice was quiet. "We don't stand a chance, do we? Even if we can stop the beam - they wont stand a chance against Cybermen."

The Doctor's face did little to inspire Ace, or lift her hopes. "There's always a chance, always a hope, no matter how small. Come on."

They took one last look around the bridge, and then ran from the room.

.

Two Cybermen were searching their section of the lower decks. As they came to a junction, they paused to look at the large blue box partly obstructing their passage. They circled it, and then turned to look at each other. Their sightless eyes met.

In another part of the ship, the Cyberleader turned to his deputy. "The TARDIS has been sighted on Level J. The Doctor is here. Bring him to me." The Deputy acknowledged his leader with the slightest of bows, and then communicated the order to the other Cybermen.

.

The Doctor and Ace ran down corridors, turning left or right at the Doctor's discretion, often just in time to avoid a Cyber Patrol. They reached the corridor outside the MilkyWay Bar and secretly watched a line of zombie-like passengers filing slowly out the doors, down the hallway.

Another Cyberman exited the doors, with more passengers following behind. The Doctor's eyes caught sight of Sara, mindlessly following the person in front of her, playing her part in this obscene Cyber congo line, heading straight for the airlock.

He whispered to Ace, "Once the beam is stopped, we'll need to create a diversion; allow some of them to escape, or defend themselves."

Ace, who had been peering over his shoulder at the Cybermen as they led their lambs away, pulled the Doctor further down a side corridor. "What hope have they, against _those_ things!" her voice was full of anger. Calming herself down, she continued, "At least like this they don't know what's going to happen to them. They wont suffer." The Doctor knew how passionately Ace hated the Cybermen, and how much she feared them.

The Doctor rested a hand on Ace's arm. "On the bridge, before I arrived, what was happening?"

The anger on Ace's face remains as she considers the Doctor's question. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"And you know this, because…"

Ace's chin trembled as her mind cleared. "Because I was conscience."

"The beam removes freewill, but it doesn't stop your thoughts. They can control you, make you follow their orders, even when every fibre in your being is shouting NO!" the Doctor spat his disgust. "We have to stop them."

Ace wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Come on," the Doctor said. "This way."

They ran swiftly, but cautiously, always on the look out for Cybermen. As they turned the last corner to the Shield Generator Chamber, they quickly halted and turned around, ducking back around the corner the had just emerged from. Two Cybermen were standing guard at the door.

Without a word from the Doctor, Ace pulled out two of the cans from her rucksack. She peered around the corner to gauge the distance. They Cybermen mustn't have seen them; they hadn't moved from their positions.

Ace silently mouthed a countdown. _Three… _ She pulled the top off one of the cans. _Two… _ She removed the other top. _One!_ Running out into the corridor, she yelled out "Oi! Cyberman! Catch this!" and threw the first can at the nearest Cyberman. It caught the can with one hand, and levelled its weapon at her with the other.

Ace threw the other can at the second Cyberman's feet. She started to back away towards the corridor where the Doctor was waiting. The first Cyberman warned her, "Halt. You are known to us. You are -"

At that moment, the can in the first Cyberman's hand exploded, followed a moment later by the one at the other Cyberman's feet. Ace jumped down the side corridor, into the Doctor's arms, as pieces of shrapnel and a wave of heat screamed past her ears.

The Doctor helped her regain her footing, and noticed the satisfied smile on her face. "Ace!", she said, softly, happy with her handiwork. They both stepped out into the larger corridor. Neither of them could believe the sight that met their gaze.

The two Cybermen were both advancing towards them steadily, weapons ready. One sported a mangled hand, and the other had a noticeable limp, but apart from that the two steel soldiers were undamaged. The first looked at the Doctor. "Halt! You are the Doctor. You will come with us." The Doctor stood, wide-eyed, staring at the Cybermen. He couldn't believe they had withstood the blast of Ace's Nitro 9 explosives. Ace pushed him back down the corridor, and followed him, just as the Cybermen opened fire.

"Now what?" Ace yelled as they ran.

"Back to the TARDIS," the Doctor replied.

.

The Cyberleader stood impassively before his deputy. "They will try to return to the Time Capsule. Excellent!"

.

As they ran, ducking and weaving, the Doctor asked Ace in between breaths, "Do you have any gold?". She thought for a moment, then remembered Flowerchild's gold earring pinned to her jacket. She unpinned it as she ran and showed it to the Doctor.

"Hmm, that might work. But remember - ", he started, but Ace finished.

"Yeah, I know - aim for the chest panel."

The Doctor was clearly struggling for breath. "Right! Let's just hope they haven't found the TARDIS!" the Doctor puffed to her, as they ran. The Doctor and Ace continued on, back towards the TARDIS. A Cyberman watched them running down the corridor, his weapon by his side.

.

The deputy was updating his Leader on their progress. "3,500 processable units have been recovered. Conversion has commenced. Conversion Chambers are running at 27% capacity."

The Leader listened impassively, before finally speaking. "Prepare to disembark as soon as the Doctor has been captured."

"And the girl?" the deputy queried.

"She is wanted for crimes against the Cyber Race. Dead, or alive, is of no consequence."

.

The Doctor and Ace were cautiously stalking down the corridor that would lead them back to the TARDIS. "So, can the TARDIS stop the beam?" Ace whispered.

"No, we'll need to go to one of the ships and stop it at its source." The Doctor paused for a moment. "Hopefully disabling one ship will be enough."

"Oh. Is that all?" Ace said despondently.

They reached the intersection. Holding her back slightly, the Doctor carefully peered around the corner. Just over ten metres away he could see his Time Machine, waiting for him.

"Well?" Ace peered over his shoulder.

"It's a trap."

"Where?" Ace again tried to see around the corner.

"I can feel it," the Doctor replied.

Stepping once more back into hiding, the Doctor started muttering to himself, thinking of ways of getting back to the TARDIS. He poked his head back round the corner, to see what was happening.

Ace stood behind him, staring at the man who promised to show her the 12 galaxies. He'd kept his word. And she'd kept his back. A grim look of determination came over her face, as she decided her fate.

Grabbing the last two cans of Nitro 9 from her rucksack, Ace closed her eyes in silent prayer. The Doctor turned back around just as she opened her eyes. She smiled at him.

"Hold this," she said, and thrust the bag into his hands. "I'll be right back." Ace gave the Doctor a smile. Before he could stop her, she ran down the corridor towards the TARDIS. There was no sign of movement, but she could feel the hairs on her neck standing tall. She rested a hand on the TARDIS door, and felt its gentle hum.

Two Cybermen stepped out of the shadows behind her, guns squarely aimed. Feeling their presence, she slowly turned around, her empty hands held up in surrender. "Where is the Doctor," one of them asked her.

"I don't know," she lied.

"How are you able to resist the psionic beam?" the other Cyberman questioned her.

"I don't know that either. Maybe I'm just too stubborn to be hypnotised?" Her irony was lost on the Cybermen. The first looked her up and down.

"You will stand trial for your crimes against the Cyber Race."

Fiddling with her somewhat bulky jacket sleeves, Ace stared defiantly at the Cybermen. "Don't bet on it!" Before they could react, she darted down the left corridor, away from the Doctor. The Cybermen fired at her, following her down the corridor, but she had already disappeared down a side passage. They gave pursuit.

The Doctor, his face wrinkled in concern for Ace, walked hurriedly into the junction and up to his TARDIS. Just as he unlocked the door, two more Cybermen appeared. The Doctor rushed inside and ran to the console, flicking the switch to lock the doors. He put his brolly down on the console and turned around, breathing a sigh of relief, until he saw one Cyberman standing inside the doors!

The Cyberman started across the room towards the Doctor. He aimed his weapon at the Doctor's head, and fired. Nothing happened. The Doctor smiled at him, after quickly mopping his brow. "I'm afraid the TARDIS is in a state of temporal grace. Weapons won't work in here. We're inside a relative dimensional stabiliser field."

He grinned at the Cyberman, and muttered under his breath, "And boy am I glad I fixed it!" The Cyberman did not appear worried. He simply advanced on the Time Lord menacingly. "Ah..." the Doctor said, and started backing away. The disarmed Cyberman may not be able to shoot him, but he still possessed the strength of ten men. He could tear him apart limb by limb.

.

Ace ran for her life. She hadn't seen the ship's layout on the computer console like the Doctor had, but she was sure she was heading in the right direction. The first can of Nitro hadn't even scratched her pursuers, who she was sure now numbered closer to seven than the original two. The other can of Nitro bounced inside the baggy sleeve of her bomber jacket. She wasn't sure now if it was worth worrying about.

.

The Doctor carefully backed away from the Cyberman, until he felt one of the six large iron girders which surrounded the new console press against his back. The Cyberman, thinking he had cornered the Doctor, moved forwards. The Doctor neatly side-stepped, and grabbed the end of the cable that was dangling from the girder and touched it to the Cyberman's chest, covering his face as he did so.

The electricity crackled, blue sparks flying everywhere, as the wire came in contact with the Cyberman's chest panel. The Doctor looked out from behind his arm just in time to see the Cyberman's fist rushing towards his head. He ducked just in time, and felt the rush of wind as the silver arm flashed past his face, knocking his hat off.

The Cyberman, a blackened mark covering his chest panel the only evidence that anything had happened, moved steadily forwards. The Doctor looked around his TARDIS, searching for anything he might use to defend himself.

The Doctor led the Cyberman around the large room, ducking and weaving out of his grasp. He knew he couldn't keep it up forever. The Cyberman followed him, and paused briefly as he watched the Doctor fall over a small table. The Doctor waited for a moment, then rushed at the Cyberman, holding a cricket bat in his hands. He thumped it as hard as he could into the Cyberman's head. The Cyberman stood stock still, unmoving, his head now nursing a slight dint where his nose should be.

Staring at the Cyberman, the Doctor carefully circled around it, the bat held high. He moved slightly closer to see if he could hear the Cyberman's rhythmic breathing. Suddenly, the Cyberman's silver arm reached out and tore the bat from the Doctor's grasp. In an unnecessary show of strength, the Cyberman crushed the wooden bat in his hands before turning back to his pursuit.

.

Ace turned right, and realised too late that she had taken the wrong corridor. Instead of finding herself in the twisting, turning passage she anticipated, she was now running down the long, straight corridor she and the Doctor had taken when first landing on the ship. The TARDIS was ahead of her, but there were no side passages, no corners, just a long, straight, corridor.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest. Sweat was pouring down her face. Travelling with the Doctor had certainly improved her fitness; on more than one occasion she had literally had to run for her life, but she was finding her body nearing exhaustion. The Cybermen, however, could go on chasing her forever.

Pausing for breath, she turned just in time to see the first Cyberman entering the passageway. Slipping it out of her sleeve, she threw her last can of Nitro 9 at him, and then ducked as he fired at her. The can fell short of the Cyberman, and exploded, leaving a ringing in Ace's ears. The corridor was filled with a cloud of smoke, through which Ace could see the silver giants moving after her.

No time to enjoy the brisance this time. Taking a deep breath, she turned and once more fled down the corridor. She squinted, looking ahead to where she could just make out the shape of the TARDIS.

.

The Doctor pulled out draw after draw of the large wall cupboard, searching for his bags of gold dust. Where had he put them? He heard the heavy footsteps of the Cyberman behind him. He pulled open a draw labelled "G", and saw a red bag with a yellow drawstring. "Aha!" he yelled, and grabbed the bag, opened it, and threw the contents at the Cyberman.

Hundreds of marbles bounced off the warrior, falling to the ground, and rolling everywhere. "Oh," he said, realising his mistake, and regretting his slack attitude towards filing systems.

The Cyberman advanced over the marbles, crushing some of them underfoot, yet not losing his balance. Glancing past the Cyberman, a large spool of wire caught the Doctor's eye. It was sitting under the console, where he had left it after his refurbishing.

An idea formed in the Doctor's mind, his eyes momentarily clouding over. The flash of silver as the Cyberman brought his arm down in a chopping motion towards the Doctor's neck quickly brought him out of his reverie, and he ducked, and tried to slip past the Cyberman towards the console.

The Cyberman, however, was faster. He grabbed at the fleeing figure with his other hand. In a swift and deft move, the Doctor slipped out of his jacket, leaving the Cyberman holding it in short-lived triumph. The Doctor reached the spool of wire, and begun unravelling it from both ends of the large spool.

The Cyberman reached the console, causing the Doctor to scramble crab like underneath the console, holding the spool and playing with the wires. Eventually the Doctor emerged from under the console, grabbed his umbrella, and waited for the Cyberman.

Knowing that his superior strength and stamina would win out in the end, the Cyberman chased the Doctor around the console. The Time Lord, clutching his umbrella with a spool of wire slipped over its length, was pulling open an inspection hatch from the underside of the console. Ripping two wires out from within the opening, he attached them to the two ends of the spool.

Just as he stood back up, the Cyberman reached him, hands outstretched, ready to grab the Doctor by the arms. But as the metal hands came close to the spool, it jumped out of the Doctor's hands and stuck to the Cyberman. The electromagnet was complete, and far too powerful for the Cyberman to overcome.

With a push, the Doctor sent the Cyberman reeling backwards towards one of the girders. With a clank, the Cyberman became magnetically stuck to the iron girder. The two ends of wire the Doctor had unwound were just the right length to reach over to where the now immobile, yet very functional Cyberman was pinned.

Smiling, the Doctor turned to look at the monitor.

.

Ace ran into the junction where the TARDIS stood waiting for her. She banged on the doors, and yelled "Doctor! Let me in!"

.

The Doctor saw his companion, his friend, his champion, on the monitor, and moved to the door control. He was about to open it when his eyes, which hadn't left the monitor, opened wide, and his jaw slackened. His hand faltered on the control.

.

Ace pounded on the TARDIS doors again. She quickly glanced to her left, back down the corridor, yet could see no sign of the Cybermen that had been following her.

A flash of silver in her peripheral vision came to late, and two strong hands landed on her shoulders, squeezing her in an unbreakable grip. She winced as she was bruised to the bone by the Cyberman's unfeeling hands. Slowly, the Cyberman turned her around, and stared down at her. "For your crimes, you shall make a satisfactory Cyberwoman," he said to her.

"Never!" Ace screamed, and reached her hand out to the Cyberman's chest unit, Flowerchild's gold badge held firmly in her fingers. She scratched it against the intricate grill that was the Cyberman's ventilation opening, and saw several flakes of gold disappear - sucked inside. She closed her eyes, and waited for something to happen.

Nothing did.

The Cyberman grabbed her hand, squashing it around the metal badge, breaking her fingers, making her yell in pain, and drop to her knees.

Noticing the small device in Ace's ear, the Cyberman reached down and removed it. Ace's pain appeared to vanish, her face falling blank. Inside her head, Ace cried. Tears formed in her eyes, but did not fall.

"Stand," came the simple command from her captor. Ace stood. The Cyberman looked past her to the TARDIS, as five more Cybermen finally arrived.

.

The Doctor watched on the monitor, horrified, as the Cyberman lead Ace away. The other Cybermen then descended upon the TARDIS, examining it, banging on it, testing it. Finally they simply stood with two either side, tilted the time machine over, and carried it.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was thrown suddenly against the console as the floor lurched wildly to one side. Clinging awkwardly to the console, the Doctor reached around and found the stabilisation switch, and flicked it, bringing the interior dimension back to the level.

Giving the trapped Cyberman a contemptuous glance, he started setting the controls...

.

The Cybermen carrying the TARDIS stared at each other as the time machine suddenly disappeared from the hands.

.

On board the Cybership, the Cyberleader turned to his deputy. "The TARDIS has dematerialised. The Doctor has seen the futility of his attempts against us, and retreated. This news shall leave his companion angry for being left her behind. Observe." He turned just as Ace was brought into the room.

The Cyberman who had captured Ace ordered her to stop. She stopped, and stood still, her eyes staring dully ahead. The Leader made a gesture to one of his bridge staff, and at the press of a button, Ace suddenly came back to life, and into a world of agony.

Crumpling to the ground, Ace cradled her broken bleeding hand awkwardly as her severely bruised arms and shoulders throbbed. Through the pain, she saw a set of silver boots in front of her. "Your... friend, the Doctor, has abandoned you. He has finally realised the true weakness of an emotional mind," the Cyberleader stated.

Ace wasn't sure what to think. All she wanted was for the pain to stop. She almost wished to be put back under their control so that the pain could be blotted out of her mind. Ace tried to shrug her shoulders at the Leader, and cried out in pain. "So he got away. Good!" The deputy watched on, inquisitively.

On the main view screen at the front of the bridge, which was considerably smaller than the one onboard the Essex, the passenger liner was shrouded in the eerie green glow of the psionic beam. "3,756 processable units recovered," the Cyberleader addressed Ace.

"Those unsuitable for conversion were left onboard." He motioned to one of his subordinates, and the web of green light ceased. "The remaining units are now waking. They shall be disorientated, unaware of what has happened."

Ace wondered why the Cyberleader was sharing this information with her. "We shall now spare them the pain of a long, emotional death." Ace realised what was about to happen.

"No!" she screamed out, rushing towards the Cyberleader. With a flick of his arm, she was sent sprawling across the room.

"Activate." The emitters again began transmitting an energy wave, though this time of a much higher frequency.

.

The TARDIS materialised in space, some distance from the Essex. The fleet of Cyberships were pulling back from the cruiser. On the monitor, the Doctor watched as an orange coloured web of light surrounded the Essex.

.

On the bridge of the Essex, Captain Grainey blinked. The lifeless form of Verity Mills slipped from his confused grasp. He stared around the burning bridge at the few remaining officers who were also now blinking and staring around the room, as the orange glow intensified.

.

The Doctor watched as the energy field fluctuated rapidly, until the ship exploded in upon itself.

.

Cradling her arm, Ace sobbed quietly on the floor of the bridge. The Cyberleader walked over to her. "You feel sorrow, and your hand is causing you pain. We shall help you. Soon, you shall feel no pain. Your hand will be stronger than any organic compound, as will be the rest of your body. You shall live forever. You will be like us."

Ace stared up into the vacant eyes of the Cyberleader. "You just killed 15,000 people, but you don't care, do you?"

"They were inferior to us. They were not suitable for conversion. Why should I care?" The Cyberleader turned to the Cyberman who had brought her in. "Take her to Conversion Chamber 5."

On the floor, Ace steeled herself for one last fight, but when the Cyberman's arms grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her to her feet, as the pain reignited all over her body, she knew it was a fight she couldn't win.

"I will never serve you, Cyberleader," Ace said quietly. "I'll fight you to my last breath."

The Cyberman halted and turned her around to face the Cyberleader. "All of your memories shall be recorded, and then blocked from your mind. Your knowledge of the Doctor and his Time machine will be extremely useful to our cause. When the conversion of your body is finished, you WILL serve us."

The Cyberman half led, half carried Ace off the bridge. She called out one last time in defiance. "You'll regret this day, Cyberleader. I promise you!"

.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor reset the coordinates, and once more his time machine dematerialised. As he anxiously paced the room, he did not notice the dials on the console slowly moving of their own accord. The magnetic field of the electromagnet which still held the Cyberman pinned against the nearby girder was changing the settings...

.

In one of the less frequented mini-control rooms aboard the Cybership, a blue light began flashing in one corner, underneath which the form of a large blue box slowly formed, accompanied by a wheezing, groaning sound. Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor viewed the landing site on his monitor. The lights outside were on a minimal setting, leaving most of the room in eerie shadow.

The door opens, and the Doctor emerged, hat crammed firmly on his head. He quickly examined the room, finding the control panel he needed, and starts flicking switches.

.

On the bridge, the Cyber Lieutenant turned to his Leader. "Time disturbance recorded in tertiary control room."

The Cyberleader turned to his deputy. "The Doctor is onboard. He has come to rescue his companion after all. This time, he will be too late."

.

The Doctor set about finding where Ace was being held. She would be in a holding cell, probably being prepared for conversion. One of the monitors flicked from image to image as the Doctor searched the ship for his companion. His friend. The young girl who had become a woman in front of his eyes, and been through more scrapes with him than most.

The image on the monitor halted as the Doctor zoomed in on the main holding area. It was empty. Quickly changing to the scene inside the primary processing chamber, the Doctor stared, horrified, as he saw row upon row of alcoves, sealed by frosted-glass doors, the occupants semi-visible inside. The alcoves stretched upwards, several tiers of conversion pods soaring up to the vast boundaries of the ceiling.

The Doctor wildly searched the controls for a chronometer. He found one. Only then did he realise his mistake. The TARDIS had not taken him directly to the ship. It had taken him forwards in Time by nearly two hours.

"Ace! What have I done?"

The Doctor's knees wobbled, as memories of the last time he and Ace had encountered the Cyberman flooded back to him. "You'd never let them do that to me, would you, Doctor? I'd rather die than be like _them_."

Clenching his hands slightly, the Doctor stared at the monitor, his face set in agonised determination. Getting down on his knees, he opened an inspection panel under the console with his sonic screwdriver, and then pulled out a large cluster of cables. From the monitor he heard the chilling voice of a Cyberman running through a countdown. "Ten... Nine... Eight..." Setting the sonic screwdriver to its highest setting, he wildly aimed it inside the panel.

The wires fizzled as the sonic beam bore through them. A loud explosion sent the Doctor reeling backwards as the panel smoked and crackled. The lights in the room went out, as did all the instruments and monitors on the computer banks. The ship seemed to die, the continual vibration of the ships engines even coming to an abrupt halt. In the darkness, the Doctor half sat, half lay where he had fallen, awake, but unmoving.

A little red light started flashing below the monitor on which the Doctor had been using. The Doctor didn't appear to notice it at first. Then a voice came through the speaker, as the lights around the room too suddenly started coming back to life. "Two... One. Conversion complete. Open pod doors."

The monitor regained its signal, and showed a dim image of the Conversion Chamber. The glass doors all opened in unison. Behind them, silver creatures, no longer human, stood silently to attention. "Move forward," the Cybervoice ordered.

The Doctor's eyes stared at the monitor. The new Cybermen and Cyberwomen stepped forwards. Hundreds of them. Thousands, perhaps. The Doctor stared at one of the Cyberwomen. Adjusting the controls, he zoomed in on her. The new warriors turned in unison, and started to march off towards the exits. The Doctor caught fleeting images of the pod that the Cyberwoman had emerged from as the silver figures filed past. There was something left behind. Something on the floor...

As they finally finished marching past, the Doctor zoomed in closer on the open pod. On the floor, lying in tatters, was a black bomber jacket. An anguished moan escaped the Doctor's lips. "Ace..." Crestfallen, the Doctor continued to stare at the monitor; at the jacket which now lay in tatters, badges scattered across the floor.

.

"The fact of his friend's death shall leave the Doctor suffering from grief. He shall be unable to function. Already his motion is impaired, and his mind is making irrational decisions. Bring him to me..." the Cyberleader instructed two Cybermen.

.

Finally, he stood. He stared with open hatred at the monitor. And then he ran into the TARDIS.

Inside, he opened a hidden panel in the small library set overlooking the console. His hand emerged holding a spherical object, slightly larger than a cricket ball. It was black, with small dimples dotted irregularly over its surface. The only ledger on the device was in tiny yellow print. It read "Ace! - Prototype VI", followed by a tiny smiling face. He slipped it into his pocket, and ran from the console room.

The lights in the Cyber sub control room had returned to their dim state. The Doctor started hunting around the room, tossing aside crates of neatly stored equipment, scouring the floor for something. Finally he found what he was after – a trapdoor - and wrenched it open. Just as he'd hoped - a main power conduit.

Producing a ball of twine from one of his pockets, the Doctor nimbly ran over to the door, opened it, peered into the corridor outside, then stepped back into the room, his fingers playing with the twine. As the doors closed, he slipped the end of the twine between them, catching it tight.

Unreeling the twine as he went, he returned to the open conduit hatch. Carefully, very gingerly, the Doctor took out the small sphere, and tied the other end of the string to it. He dangled the black sphere over the edge, the twine pulled tight from the door to the hatch in the floor.

Taking a moment to look around, his eyes eventually fell on the monitor upon which he had seen the horrible fate of his companion. Ace's jacket was still displayed on the floor. "One day, Ace, I shall make amends... I promise you." The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS, and a few moments later it disappeared.

.

On the bridge of the Cybership, the Cyberleader stared it a blank monitor. The Doctor's interference had damaged the cameras in that control room. He knew the Doctor had left in his Time Machine. It was most unfortunate. His knowledge would have proved useful.

Now there was a new problem. The damage inflicted by the Doctor's meddling could only be repaired from that control room. The door, however, was clearly booby trapped.

"Twenty-five percent of the converts from Chamber 5 have shown signs of irregularities in their functional processing units," a Cyberlieutenant reported. "They are under guard in Holding Cell Alpha."

"Reprocess them," the Leader replied.

.

Two Cybermen stared at the doorway, a small length of organic machined filament clearly protruding between the doors. Every effort was being made to find out what was on the other side of the door, however it looked as though no progress would be forthcoming.

.

The TARDIS rematerialised outside the Cyberfleet, but flickered - drifting in and out of the Time/Space continuum.

.

All tests and theories had been calculated. There was only one course of action to take. One of the Cybermen stepped forwards, as the other held a button on a small control pad near the door. The doors remained closed as the Cyberman approached, the automatic opening mechanism temporarily disabled by his colleague.

The Cyberman grasped the thin strand of twine in its strong fingers, and signalled to the other to release the doors.

They opened, and the Cyberman found himself holding a short length of twine in its powerful fingers. It watched as a much longer piece, that had also been held by the doors, but hidden from view, fell to the ground and raced a short distance inside the room, as if pulled by a small weight.

.

From space, the Doctor stared at his monitor as the lead Cybership suddenly exploded. He watched as the other vessels quickly altered course to avoid the debris.

"Ace!" he said, though without any of the conviction his friend had always expressed. "Dorothy... Forgive me." The Doctor turned, and walked off into his TARDIS' interior, wandering aimlessly along its many corridors, alone.

.

Aboard one of the two remaining battle cruisers, the smaller ships now back inside their hangers, the Fleet Commander looked to his deputy. Turning towards the main, smallish view screen, he said, "Proceed."

.

.

.

.

.

NOTE:

_Yes, I killed Ace... I was then going to have an Eighth Doctor story, in which we learn that the Cybermen have become conflicted by civil war, as the faction that were improperly converted, including Ace, split off and escaped their re-conversion, a group of Cybermen who retained some of their emotion..._


End file.
